Missing Target
by I'm Seriously Sirius
Summary: What if Sarah had been just a little too late to save Ethan when Jesse bit him? This is a look at season 2 with Ethan as a vampire, Sarah depressed, and poor Benny stuck in the middle.
1. Something Cupid This Way Comes

**Missing Target**

What if Sarah had been just a little too late to save Ethan when Jesse bit him? This is a look at season 2 with Ethan as a vampire, Sarah depressed, and poor Benny stuck in the middle.

Note: This story will be told in 'episodes' instead of chapters. Also, I started this back in February, so the first episode will mainly focus on that month.

Disclaimer: Don't own MBAV etc, etc.

* * *

Episode 1 Part 1

Something Cupid This Way Comes

* * *

There was no mistaking what happened. None of them saw it coming, not even Ethan, who had an 'abnormal' knack at seeing those type of things. He didn't know what to do when Jesse bit down into his arm. The pain was beyond anything he could imagine. It felt as if fire and ice was fighting an impossible war inside him while using his arm and lungs as a battleground. He could feel Jesse cutting through his skin like sharp blades but everything else outside that was a blur. Ethan couldn't help the shutter of pain that passed through his body before the feeling stopped. The fire and ice feeling was still there, but it no longer bothered him as his legs finally gave up the fight of keeping him standing and he fell to the cold floor. Ethan could hear voices now— sharp voices, as if whomever was speaking was only meters away.

"You're too late." He heard a male voice announce smoothly. "The venom has spread. It won't be long now..."

He knew the voice belonged to Jesse, but he sounded different somehow. It was as if his hearing had suddenly picked up on every syllable the vampire spoke. There was a rush of movement somewhere behind him and abruptly he felt a warm hand graze across his cheek. The touch sent another spasm wave through his body. The fire and ice feeling was fading and now all he was left with was a strange numbness as if he'd somehow ran across the entire world in one day. Ethan tried to comprehend what was happening to him, but he could barely manage to move his fingers yet alone try to actually think of something coherent. The last thing he heard was a soft voice whisper in his ear, a voice so familiar he could have picked it out in a crowd of thousands. It was Sarah.

"I'm so sorry Ethan...I'm so sorry..."

Before he could try to open his lips to respond the world went dark and he fell into oblivion.

Ethan jumped up with a start. The warm sheets of the bed fell to the floor with the sudden movement. Almost instantly three things returned to his memory as he took in his dark surroundings. One, he wasn't going to purposely fall asleep ever again if he could help it. Two, his throat felt as if it was on fire, and three, he was still a vampire. It had been a week since the school dance disaster and things had changed. The main attribute, of course, was his newly acquired thirst for blood. Luckily Benny's grandmother had given him a full stock of her artificial substitute but now he finally understood why Sarah hated it so much. The taste was always off to him, as if he was drinking diluted water with a pinch of something else mixed in. Ethan grimaced just at the thought of what he'd be forced to drink in a few minutes if the burning feeling in his throat didn't stop.

Thinking of Benny, he smiled humorously in the darkness of his dimly lit room. His friend had taken to him being a vampire as if it was merely a new ability. They rarely mentioned it, but there had been times when he'd jokingly say—_ 'Hey, we're good, as long as you don't sink those sharpers into my neck.' _ They'd laugh it off before returning to whatever video game they were playing. But sometimes, like tonight, Ethan's 'new problem' (as he was now calling it) was at it's worse. At the moment he was starving for blood so badly he was tempted to jump out the window in search of a few alley rats.

His family was another constant worry on his shoulders. So far, his mom and dad were completely oblivious to their son's ailment but he was sure Jane was starting to grow suspicious. His little sister had seen a good amount of their adventures which would make anyone more open-eyed towards the things that bumped around in the town of Whitechapel.

Sighing regrettably, Ethan cleared his mind from all the muggy thoughts and stared at the medium-sized canister sitting inconspicuously on his nightstand. Even from his bed a couple of inches away Ethan could smell the contents as it teased him foully. Obviously his throat was somehow connected to his eyesight because the burning feeling seemed to increase tenfold. He fought heavily against the compulsion, but eventually his throat won out causing him to grab the cup and drink down the blood in large thirsty gulps.

The burning in his throat instantly extinguished though there was still the slight aftertaste that he knew wouldn't go away anytime soon. Ethan managed to get the last meager drops from the cup before placing it back on the dresser with a sickening look. By some miracle he managed to finish just in time because it wasn't long before he caught the familiar scent of his friend walking towards the house. He didn't bother allowing Benny to reach the doorbell as he left his dark room and made it downstairs at an abnormal speed.

He opened the door and watched as his friend trampled through the newly watered garden which was something he knew his mom would have had a fit about had she been there. The other boy was dressed normally in a pair of blue jeans, black sneakers, a long-sleeved shirt, and a gray '_World of Magecraft_' jacket he bought off ebay a few months ago. Benny paused at the doorway and rose a brow at his best friend who was still staring at him unblinking. An awkward moment passed by in silence before Benny coughed slightly.

"Hey there!" He said waving a hand in front of Ethan's face. "Err...why are you staring at me like that?" He looked more than a bit weirded out. Ethan shook his head quickly before frowning, his eyes still unblinking. "Sorry. I'm just kind of thirsty again and well..." he trailed off before looking back up at the other boy. "Well...I can hear your heart beating and stuff." He left it at that while silently hoping his best friend would do the same. Luckily Benny merely shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "Don't worry about it. I'm sure if I was a new vamp I'd want to chow down on you too."

Ethan laughed uneasily before moving aside and allowing the boy to enter the house. He wanted to put in that, technically, he was still a fledgling, but thought better of it. He wasn't sure if he even wanted to associate himself as a vampire. His denial was still a mile deep, and sometimes it helped him from completely losing his mind. It was just better to sweep the subject of Jesse under the rug, it made the past events seem less real and easier to reject. No one had seen the vampire since the night of the dance and no one, not even Benny, dared to bring him up as if his name had become a taboo.

"So where's your parents?" His best friend asked as he plopped heavily on the couch and reached for the remote.

"Gone to some dinner convention from my dad's job. Jane went with them. They'll only be gone for a few hours." Ethan answered in reply while trying aimlessly to concentrate on anything other than the scent of his friend's blood.

"Oh." Was all Benny said as he flicked straight to the wrestling channel. "So they're lettin' you stay here alone? Without a babysitter?" He added half teasingly.

Ethan rolled his eyes before throwing a couch pillow straight towards Benny's face. He stared with surprise as the pillow ammunition hit the other boy so hard he tumbled backwards off the couch and landed back first on the floor.

"Ouch, bro." Benny said with a grunt. "You almost knocked me outside with that slugger hand of yours. I volunteer myself as your temporary babysitter and this is the thanks I get? Now I see why Sarah went running for the hills. "

Ethan winced involuntarily at the name. Even though he knew Benny was joking around, there was still apart of him that felt a heavy tug every time Sarah's name was brought up. He had barely seen her since the dance, and the only time she spared him the slightest of words were when they were trapped in the small confines of the school hallway. Other than that Sarah kept to herself though it was blatantly clear how depressed she was nowadays.

It was best to steer clear that subject altogether. At least until he found a way to convince her that him becoming a fledgling wasn't her fault. In the background Ethan could hear Benny picking himself up from the floor while still muttering half heartedly about newbie vamps and their 'arm control.' Ethan couldn't help but smirk as Benny sat back down on the couch with a wince.

"Sorry about that." Ethan said sheepishly, though his expression held nothing but amusement. "I really only meant to knock you to the Kingdom of Winfield, not my floor."

Benny merely folded his arms and huffed indignantly. "This is the last time I volunteer to babysit a newbie vamp...I'd like to keep my body parts intact during the rest of my visit, thank you."

And that's pretty much how majority of the night went for the two friends. They both eagerly watched the new Kneeson vs. Rock Smasher match and hooted and hollered as Kneeson took the win, making it his six undefeated match that season. For a moment, it seemed as if nothing had changed. Ethan didn't feel like a bloodthirsty vampire, and if he imagined farther he could even pretend Sarah was sitting in the kitchen in an attempt to avoid the nerdiness that was flowing through the living room. But all too soon the match ended and Ethan was brought painfully back to the present.

"So are you and Sarah gonna make up in time for Valentines day tomorrow?" Benny asked between mouthfuls of popcorn.

Ethan frowned immediately, "Sarah isn't speaking to me, you know that."

"Yeah. But I figured she'd have to snap out of it for Valentines day. I mean, I thought the point was to make up, or at least hope you strike gold with the babes."

Ethan was tempted to throw another pillow bullet at his friend. "You're starting to sound like Rory."

At the sound of his name there was a loud bump on the roof before the blonde haired boy appeared in front of the window, instantly scaring Benny who dropped the rest of his popcorn.

"Did someone call my name?"

"Rory, how many times do we have to tell you. Don't sneak up on us like that!" Benny gritted his teeth and went to open the window for the other vampire. Rory jumped inside and a gust of February winds followed behind him. Ethan felt eerie when the wind blew against his skin and he didn't feel the slightest bit of cold.

Rory gave a lopsided grin as he jumped over the couch and landed smoothly on a cushion. "Really, I just scared you." He corrected. "Ethan here, though fledgling he might be, could've heard me coming a mile away‒ ‒whoa, popcorn!" They watched as the boy picked up a handful of popcorn that laid abandoned on the floor and plopped them hungrily into his mouth. "Needs more butter." He said while picking a few kernels from his teeth.

Even Benny looked a bit disgusted, and the guy had a habit of eating old gum he had stashed in his locker for weeks.

Benny frowned a bit and scoffed. "I wasn't scared. You just caught me off guard." He stuttered while trying fruitlessly to cover his lie. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Rory shrugged as he threw another popcorn into his mouth. "Bored. Just came from grabbing a late night snack is all. Thought I'd drop by." At the word snack the blonde haired boy gave a wicked smirk, his fangs appearing ominously.

Seeing the expressions of the two boys Rory snorted before retracting his fangs and laughing. "Bros, relax. I'm just kidding. I was at home playing the new World of Magecraft game...cool jacket by the way Ben. Mind if I borrow it sometimes?"

Benny rolled his eyes. "Over your dead body dude. I paid almost 100 bucks for this jacket."

Rory's eyes widened excitedly. "So that means I can borrow it now?"

Benny blinked in mild surprise before seldomly shaking his head and turning his attention back to Ethan who had watched the exchange quietly. "There's no hope for him E, even in the afterlife. Anyway. Are we gonna fix this Sarah problem or what? I'm getting tired of seeing her mope on and on at school."

Ethan raised a brow and folded his arms across his chest. "There's no Sarah problem." he defended. "She needs time is all...and we don't have a right to pry into her feelings..."

Benny made a dead panned expression, "But with a little magic we could fix this right up in like, a second, or something. I could whip up a cheering spell, and she'll be her old self in no time‒ ‒"

"No magic." Ethan interrupted with narrowed eyes. "Remember the last time you used magic like that? We ended up cleaning Sarah's car for hours, not to mention putting up with Erica. Who went out her way to make it a living hell."

Benny sighed, only half listening. "Yeah, yeah I know. But this time will be different. What could go wrong?"

Ethan opened his mouth to protest but Rory spoke quicker.

"Well, you could end up turning all the girls against you again." The blonde haired boy said as he ate the last few handfuls of popcorn from the bowl. "Or you could use the wrong spell and cause some awesome tornado that could destroy half the school. But I don't see why she's so caught up over you becoming a vampire anyway. Being a vamp is much cooler, not to mention being able to live forever. You can't beat that...hey, do you have anymore popcorn?"

Ethan just stood dumbstruck as his eyes shifted back and forth from Rory to the empty bowl. "Uh sure. There's more in the cabinet. You'll have to make it yourself though."

Rory gave a large grin before dashing off to the kitchen with the bowl clutched in his hands.

Benny made a face as he watched the blonde haired boy go before looking back at Ethan in defeat. "Fine, I won't use a spell on Sarah." He relented grumblingly. "But if you change your mind I'll be way more careful this time."

Ethan sighed as he put a hand to his forehead. The night had gone well until the topic turned to more unpleasant matters. Now the thought of Sarah weighed heavily on his mind and the slight burning in his throat had somehow returned. Ethan found himself weary and ready to lay down, even if sleep wasn't exactly necessary anymore. He furrowed his brows and sucked his teeth, noticing for the first time the sudden odd sharpness of his two canine teeth.

"How about we leave it alone for now?" Ethan offered as he stood up from the couch. "Hey, you don't mind seeing yourself out later do you? We have that huge essay due for History, and I need to finish it anyway."

Benny gave Ethan a sympathetic look. A look that told him his friend hadn't forgotten what had transpired at the dance that night either. Even behind the smirks and laughs he knew Benny was just as concerned and worried about what would happen next as he was. It was only a matter of time before Jesse decided to show himself again, and he wasn't sure if they were ready to face him again.

"Alright bro. I'll keep the place in shape until your parents come home. Oh, and I'll make sure Count Rory in there stays in line too." Benny promised as he pointed a thumb in the kitchen.

Ethan gave him a grateful smile but it faltered slightly when Benny's eyes grew in surprise. It almost seemed as if he had grown a second head by the way he was looking at him.

"Uh...is there something on my face?" He asked in confusion before wiping at his face for some evidence of a dirt spot.

Benny shook his head fervently before slowly standing from the couch. Flicking his wrist, Ethan watched as a weird hologram type replica of himself appeared from thin air. "Dude. Look at your teeth." Was all he said. Ethan furrowed his brow in confusion, but rose his hands up to his face, watching as the hologram version of himself did the same. Giving a deep sigh he opened his mouth. What he saw nearly made him tumble backwards in surprise. Two vampire sized fangs were prolonged from the rest of his teeth.

They looked deadly, sharp, and in no other terms..._monstrous_. The strangest part was that he had been a vampire for almost two weeks now, and this was the first time he'd grown fangs. Even with such a minor difference Ethan hardly recognized himself, it made the truth too real, and he quickly averted his eyes.

"Do you need help...you know...getting those back in?" Benny muttered with a completely lost expression on his face.

Ethan shook his head before turning from the mirror image of himself. "Nah. I think I'll just go up to bed. If my parents come back before you leave, tell them I'm sleep."

Before Benny could say more Ethan went up to his room and fell miserably on his full sized bed. Reluctantly, he rose a hand to poke at one of the fangs. '_Yep, they're still there._' He thought wearily before taking one of his pillows and placing it over his head. For the first time since the dance Ethan found himself wondering just how long it would take before things started unraveling again. Luckily the darkness behind his eyelids helped sooth his ragged nerves, but as he forced himself to fall into sleep, or whatever it was he did now, Ethan had a bad feeling the next day would be even worse.

* * *

"Dude. You look like death." Benny whispered as they reached the school grounds the next morning.

Ethan adjusting his sunglasses. The sun, even in February, was irritating him something horrible. It felt like a bad sting or some invisible force poking him at his sides. "Yeah? Well I feel like it. Not to mention I had to drink another canister of that disgusting substitute blood. You sure your grandmother doesn't have anything better?"

Benny shook his head. "Nope. Nothing else, not unless you want to chow down on a rat, or on a hot babe. But hey, if you wanna do that it's Valentines day, and the ladies sure are flocking." Benny looked a bit beyond him where a group of girls were walking past with heart-shaped designs on their cheeks. They wore eye soring colors and to make matters worse, they each had on some of the best smelling perfume he'd ever smelt in his life...well...except for Sarah, who smelled way better.

"Hey babes. How about you do me the honor of being my Valentines?"

One of the girl's who was obviously the leader of the group looked at Benny as if he was some sort of disease.

"You wish. Don't you have some calculators to polish?"

Benny gave her a mock hurt expression. "Ouch. Don't worry, we have all day for you to change your mind!" He called after them and only received laughs in return.

Ethan merely shook his head but kept on walking towards the amazing sanctuary that was the school's front door. He knew Benny was far braver than he was when it came to the opposite sex. He could barely ask Sarah out on a simple date, so flirting was definitely out of his range. But now that he was paying attention to the mundane early school activity, Ethan noticed the many decorations practically covering every spare space of the halls.

Red paper hearts with the words '_I Heart You_' were tapped to every odd-numbered locker, while a smiling bee with the words '_Will You Bee Mines?_' were stuck to all the even. Sadly, he was unlucky enough to spot a 'Will you Bee Mines' logo plastered hurriedly on his locker. It was something he found utterly lame and a bit tiresome already. He didn't have a valentine, once again, and it wasn't as if he was in any shape to celebrate it. Though there was still the thought of him and Sarah together that sent an electric current surging through his body.

Throwing the thoughts away for now, Ethan grabbed a few books left over from yesterday and stashed away his math and science books. But before he could do anything else a familiar scent caught his attention and he knew almost instantly who it was.

"Hello Erica." He greeted before tossing in another book.

Sure enough the blonde haired vampire stood on the other side of the locker door, the unmistakable aroma of blood came from the coffee mug in her hands.

"Ethan." She responded in turn before gulping down a large amount of the mug's contents. Ethan couldn't help the surprised look that crossed his face. For as long as he had known her he was sure she had only ever called him by his real name at least once or twice. Usually it was nerd-boy or something along those lines. She must have read his expression because she merely smirked coaxingly and took another sip from her drink.

"Yeah, I've decided to be civil to you." She admitted after a silent pause. "I mean, we're sort of kindred spirits now, you know? In fangs we trust, I always say." Erica smirked wickedly, her fangs appearing discreetly. "Him on the other hand..." she pointed a finger to Benny down the hall who was still trying to make a dismal attempt with the group of girls. "Is still on the menu."

For a second Ethan wondered if Erica ever went through with her imposing threats. Surely she had killed some humans in order to get her vampire status, but Ethan couldn't help but wonder if she ever felt guilty.

"I'll make sure to give him the warning." He promised nervously and closed his locker. "But...err...is that the real reason you're talking to me?" Though he had a funny feeling it wasn't. Erica barely spared more than a few words for him. Vampire or not, he doubted that would change anytime soon.

She leaned on a nearby locker and waved her long hair out in a way that would have made most models jealous. "Of course not. I wanted to talk to you about Sarah."

Ethan immediately felt a lump form in the pit of his stomach. "Sarah?" he asked weakly.

Erica rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I'm sure you remember the little events that happened at the dance right? You being bitten by Jesse and Sarah acting all emo about it. Anyway, I was hoping you could talk with her. You know, tell her that being a fledgling isn't all bad. Stuff like that. Just something to get her out of that funk she's in. Because she's really starting to become a buzz kill, well more than usual...and what do you know. You can start on that right now."

Ethan looked at her in confusion, but Erica's eyes were trained on something behind him. It was at that moment that Ethan smelled the most amazing scent of his life. It was a perfume, scent, or whatever, that seemed tailor-made for one particular person. He didn't have to turn around in order to know who Erica was looking at. Ethan could recognize Sarah's presence a mile away.

"Hey there Sarah! I was just telling Ethan here where he could snag some humans for a late night snack." She turned back to him, ignoring his flabbergasted look. "If I were you, I'd hit up Wells street. You'll find some of the best ones there. Not to mention most of them don't go to school here. Easy clean up. Well, I have to go. I'll let you two talk alone." She gave them both a wicked smirk before strutting down the hall.

Suddenly the well polished floors looked very interesting. Hell, he was willing to massage Benny grandmother's bunions if it got him out of this situation. Ethan could sense Sarah looking at him but he didn't dare remove his eyes from the cracks in the floor. A moment of silence passed before she finally spoke.

"So you're thinking of becoming a full fledged V huh?" She asked quietly there was a hint of great disapproval in her voice.

Ethan quickly looked up at that. "Of course not. I don't know where Erica got that from. Trust me, I don't plan on sinking my teeth in anyone."

Sarah pursed her lips but said nothing. To Ethan, she looked even worse than she had last week. There was a great tiredness (if vampires could even get tired) surrounding her once bright and happy face. Her eyes were dull, and her hair was placed in a messy ponytail. But the worse part besides seeing Sarah like this was the fact that it was all his fault. A small part of him contemplated Benny's cheering spell offer, but he quickly pushed down that option. Reverting to magic got them in trouble last time, the last thing he needed now was another repeat. But the fact remained Sarah was depressed and he didn't know what to do about it.

"Err...Sarah. I wanted to talk to you about something..."

She rose a brow questionably.

"Listen. I'm telling you that it's not your fault. You had nothing to—"

"Did Erica put you up to this?" She interrupted with a growl. "I told her nothing is going to change my mind!"

"But it's not your fault. I don't blame you for what happened to me. I promise you I don't."

That did it. Sarah's eyes narrowed so deeply if looks could kill he'd be dead...again. Ethan had seen Sarah mad before, but never had he seen her downright furious. It was a scary sight, and he wondered if she was going to completely chop his head off.

"Have you looked at yourself lately?" She snapped. "If it hasn't occurred to you, you're not human anymore. And who's responsible for that? Me. I shouldn't have hesitated...for one second I thought about losing the last bit of humanity I had left, and by the time I came to a decision you were already changing."

"There's no way we could have known." Ethan said quietly. "It just happened, no one was prepared for it."

She bit her bottom lip as her eyes began to water. "I can never forgive myself. I hate what you've become, and it's all my fault."

With that she stormed off down the hall just as the first quarter bell rang signaling the beginning of classes. Ethan leaned heavily against his locker door as the last few students began running down the hall. Letting out a deep breath he clutched his books before walking down the hall himself, by now he was starting to think that maybe there just wasn't any hope in convincing Sarah.

By the time he reached his Geography class his teacher had already started his lecture. Ethan got a swift talking to about 'being on time' and was forced to sit in the back of the class as the rest of the students continued taking notes. The day had just begun and already he knew it was going to be horrible.

* * *

"So, are you gonna' eat that?" Benny asked as he pointed to Ethan's mac and cheese.

Ethan looked at his friend incredulously as more people arrived in the lunchroom. "I don't really have a taste for regular food anymore. You can have everything on my tray really."

Benny whooped at the prospect of having more food as he piled the contents of Ethan's tray to his own. "But what are you gonna' eat? I mean, aren't you...you know..."

Ethan gave a small grin as he flashed the container he had stashed in his bag before leaving home. "It's not the best. But it beats eating a bunch of stuff that taste like cardboard."

During the first days after changing Ethan had tried eating regular food only to find out it tasted horrible. Even apple pie, which was his favorite, now tasted like an indescribable gunk of goo. The only things that still tasted the same were chips, cookies, cakes, soda, and the occasional dish or two. Luckily he was pretty sure vampires couldn't gain weight from eating nothing but junk food.

"Hellooo anyone in there?"

Ethan was brought out of his thoughts with Benny waving his hands in front of his face. He shook his head slightly and blinked. "What did you say?"

"I asked how did your talk with Sarah go?"

Ethan slumped miserably in his seat. Obviously that was all the answer he needed because Benny shook his head sadly. "Told you it wouldn't work E. She's just too set in her ways. Now, if you were interested, we could still zap her with a tiny cheering spell—"

"No spells Benny." Ethan grumbled as he laid his head tiredly on the table. "As much as I want to help her magic just isn't the answer to every problem."

"Then what about your visions? Have you had one of her getting better?"

Ethan shook his head. "Nope, nothing. I'm starting to think she's going to stay this way."

Benny chewed on his newly received mac and cheese in silence for a moment while he thought. Glancing over at his best friend Benny felt a tinge of sympathy for the guy. After all, life had given him a pretty bad number, not to mention he still hadn't even truly kissed a girl before. Maybe if he was just a little sneaky...he could throw a spell Sarah's way, cheer her up, and no foul ups.

Looking at his best friend's miserable face Benny knew he'd have to pull out the spellbook for this one. Hopefully they wouldn't end up with a bunch of psycho (but very hot) babes on their backs again.

"I gotta go and get something out my locker." He said absently before quickly standing from the table. Ethan gave him a puzzled look before shrugging and plopping his head back on the table. It was a clear sign that he cared very little about what was going on.

Benny smirked discreetly before scooping up his tray and throwing the remains of his food in the trash. Between Sarah and Ethan he could understand why Erica was willing to keep his plan a secret. Well, it wasn't a plan, per say, but more or less something he had put together in less than a few minutes.

Benny had first cornered Erica right before lunch which wasn't hard given that she barely went to the lunchroom anymore. He caught her whispering something to one of the football players who was looking rightfully surprised to have such a hot girl standing in front of him.

Much to his annoyance she smelled him coming before he could even turn the corner.

"You better have a good excuse for interrupting me." She warned menacingly. "That guy was two seconds from becoming my early snack."

Fearing that she'd substitute him for the snack instead, Benny told her his plan and wasn't surprised when she instantly promised her silence in the matter.

"I'd be willing to do anything to get her out of that emo mode." The blonde had said with a roll of her eyes.

"Anything?" Benny had asked with a mischievous glee that almost got his throat cut open by two long fangs. He made a mental note to never joke around with Erica again, not unless he wanted her to drain his bodily fluids.

So now Benny found himself sitting Indian style on top a desk inside a classroom rarely used except for detentions on weekends. His eyes narrowed in concentration as he leafed through the pages of his spellbook. The spells were listed in alphabetical order, so he found himself scanning through the spells beginning in C and V. He figured a minor cheering spell would do the trick in a matter of seconds, but he also find himself looking through charms involving love.

Most of the love spells were typical while some looked so old the words were written in latin. Benny sighed in boredom before flicking through another page. He had searched for almost sixteen minutes and the closest spell that came to cheering was something that would put the target under a deep coma so they could have relaxing dreams.

While the concept seemed good enough, he doubted Sarah nor Ethan would be happy with him afterwards.

Benny was about to close the book and give up when he ran across a page entirely devoted to one spell: '_Cupid's Blessing_'. Looking over the page with intrigue, Benny ran a finger over the required items needed to produce the charm and was surprised when the only thing listed was a spell.

_The Cupid Blessing allows the target to feel 'free' around his/her admirer. They will feel exponentially happier, and will show their buried affection. The spell will last for one hour with the blessing himself watching over the target in secret. _

Benny couldn't help but grin in self achievement as he read over the charm's description for the second time. There was a small fineprint, but he didn't even bother reading it as he basked in his own accomplishment.

Giving himself a pat on the back Benny closed the book before jumping off the desk. He couldn't believe that such a perfect charm only needed a verbal spell. Now he could avoid snails, pheromones, and a bunch of crazy girls because this could only be directly cast on one person.

The only downfall he could find at all was the fact that the spell had to rhythm, something he was horribly bad at.

Taking a deep breath Benny opened the book again and read off the spell while at the same time thanking whatever gods that he was in the room alone.

"Sun and moon, sea and fire, bring me the one who grant full desires."

As he finished saying the incantation his spellbook turned an odd (and in his opinion really girly) pink color before the entire room was engulfed in a blinding white light. Benny winced and shielded his eyes from the onslaught until the light dimmed. After adjusting his eyes to the familiar brightness Benny did a double take when he noticed a new person standing...or rather 'floating' in the room. The new occupant in the room was a man who could have been in his mid forties with curly blonde hair and skin almost deathly white. The strange guy wore an old fashion white toga with a pair of small wings sprouting from his back.

"And why did ye' summon me?" The man, or thing, asked curiously in a deep Irish accent.

Benny blinked at the small man for a moment before clearing his throat. There was something about the way the floating man's eyes shifted back and forth almost hungry that made him a bit uneasy. Maybe it was a bad idea to use a spell after all, but then again, what damage could a little fairy guy do anyway?

"I need you to give a blessing or whatever it is you do to a girl."

"A girl eh? Why if only I had a coin for every time I heard that laddie. But, since ye' summoned me, I'll grant ye' request. So..." the Cupid-thing asked, leaning uncomfortably close. "Who might this girl of yours be?"

"And you're sure you can...you know...help her? Without a problem?"

The man gave a wicked bright grin. "I'll have her fixed up before you can say bob's yer' uncle."

Benny scratched his head before pacing back and forth for a moment. He still wasn't sure about the Cupid guy, but it was the only spell he could find that didn't involve a coma or turning someone into a dove. Tapping his chin, Benny decided it was too late to turn back now. The spell had worked, and now he had some weird-looking dude with wings floating in front of him.

"Well her name's Sarah. But you can't let her see you...I'm not really supposed to use spells and blah blah."

The Cupid's grin grew almost unnaturally large as he nodded eagerly and rubbed his hands together. "Will do laddie. She won't see me. And when I'm done she won't ever have a worry in her pretty little head again. You can count on that." Before Benny could respond the man disappeared with a quick snap of his fingers. The only sign of him being there at all were a few wing feathers that fell innocently to the floor. Benny watched them fall for a second, all the while wondering if he had just screwed things over big time.

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**A.N**: Please be sure to R/R!


	2. Something Cupid This Way Comes Part 2

**Missing Target**

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Something Cupid This Way Comes Part 2

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By now Ethan was almost positive this was the worst day of his life. In only a matter of six hours he had managed to earn himself a big fat F in class after forgetting to pack up the History essay he had finished yesterday. Even worse, his throat was still irritating him despite the constant sips he had taken from the canister of substitute blood, and of course, there was still the little matter of Sarah hating him even more than before.

The only reprieve came in the form of study hall which was luckily being filled in by Mr. Garrett who was, without a doubt, the most dullest and absent-minded teacher at Whitechapel High. Ethan knew he could literally fall asleep right in front of the guy and he wouldn't care less. So it wasn't a surprise that study hall was currently in a state of utter chaos. Students were talking loudly, throwing paper balls around, and simply doing anything they wanted without fear of detention. Ethan was actually grateful for the noise. It allowed him to slip away to the back of the room and be to himself for a while. Not to mention it was a lot easier to ignore the many people with delicious blood pumping through their veins...

Ethan quickly pulled himself away from those hazardous thoughts. He really was starting to lose it—when had he ever actually called blood delicious before? Slouching down further in his chair Ethan sighed and turned his attention to something else that was bugging him. Study hall had started over seven minutes ago and Benny was still nowhere to be seen. Usually the other boy was the first in class, hellbent on using the hour and a half to reorganize his 200 World of Magecraft cards by order of elemental powers.

Ethan couldn't help but wonder if something had happened. Weird things always tended to happen to them for some reason. So he wouldn't be surprised if there was some crazed monster secretly running around the school. But if that was true surely he would have known about it too. Just when Ethan was about to excuse himself from class and start searching for his friend himself the classroom door opened and Benny huddled inside. Some of the students looked up, but Mr. Garrett didn't even bother glancing from his newspaper. It was obvious Benny had been running. He barely had his jacket on correctly and his book bag was strapped hazardously on his shoulder.

His hair was a mess of strands standing up at in random directions. As he passed some girls giggled and pointed at him while others seemed to ignore him completely. Benny gave a loud huff as he plopped heavily in the empty seat next to Ethan. For a moment the other boy didn't speak as he ruffled a hand through his messy hair in an attempt to make it somewhat presentable again. Giving up quickly on the task Benny shrugged off his bag and turned his attention to the door, almost as if expecting someone else to walk through the room behind him.

"Benny? What's going on?" Ethan looked between the other boy and the door all the while praying it wasn't another rogue monster on the loose.

"Huh?" He looked wide eyed at Ethan as if seeing him sitting there for the first time. "Oh nothing. Just—just forgot my homework for class is all."

Ethan tilted his head and tried not to roll his eyes. "Benny this is study hall, remember? There _is_ no homework."

Benny formed his mouth into a small 'o' and shrugged his shoulders. "Well it must've been for Geography. That class is so boring sometimes I think it is study hall."

Ethan was rightfully suspicious now. Something about the way Benny was squirming in his seat didn't sit well with him. The other boy was practically going cockeyed as he stared nervously at the door. Ethan knew something was up and he wasn't about to be left out of whatever it was.

"Are you running from Erica again? I told you she'd get mad if you asked her about the 'talents' she had with her tongue—"

"No. I'm not running from her. Guess I got a little caught up what's with the third degree? Who died and made you Mr. Class Police? Plus, what does it matter? We've got absentminded Garrett in charge." He jabbed a thumb in the direction of Mr. Garrett who was now snoring lightly in his chair. The newspaper he was reading earlier rested on the side of his face.

Ethan snorted. "Yeah you've got a point there. The whole classroom could get abducted by aliens and he wouldn't notice."

Benny grimaced as he began shuffling through the bag and the mess within. "I wouldn't say that. Knowing our luck I wouldn't be surprised if aliens did suddenly burst through the door."

"No aliens here lad, but I do consider myself a better substitute." A new voice replied and Benny nearly fell out his chair when he turned and found the strange little man with wings floating next to his ear. The boy gave a horror stricken look as he swiftly turned in Ethan's direction but the other boy was only looking at him as if he'd suddenly gone crazy.

"Don't worry. He can't see me. Only the castor that summoned me can." The Cupid-thing assured him. "I came to tell you that I found that Sarah girl you mentioned earlier. I took care of her real nice, I did." He puffed out his chest and gave a wicked grin and Benny noticed for the first time that his teeth were pointed and looked deadly sharp.

"What did you do?" Benny whispered urgently, hoping that Ethan wouldn't overhear him. He had forgot one little detail though—Ethan now had super hearing.

"I didn't do anything." Ethan defended with a confused look. "Really. What's going on with you?"

Before Benny could respond there was a loud knock on the door. Mr. Garret only gave a loud grunt at the noise before turning over in his chair and resumed his sleeping. Many of the students laughed.

Ethan sighed before giving his friend one last worried look and stood up to get the door. It was obvious that no one else cared nor bothered to see who it was since the teacher was still out of commission. They simply returned to whatever it was they were doing again.

Ethan opened the classroom door and nearly froze at what he saw. A random girl who looked to be about 17 was standing in front of him carrying at least three dozen flowers and a huge heart shaped balloon with the words _'Me + U = Love'_ plastered over it. The girl could barely hold the vase of flowers as she puffed and looked him over.

"Is there a Ethan Morgan here?"

Ethan eyes grew wide. "Yeah...that's me."

She gave a sigh of relief, obviously happy to be rid of the large burden in her hands. "Good. Well I'm apart of the Student Council. On behalf of the Secret Valentine's Service I have a special delivery for you from a very special someone." Her voice sounded bored, as if she had rehearsed and said the same lines more than once that day. "We hope you have a very _hearty_ _heart_ day." The girl rolled her eyes before lazily stuffing the flowers and balloon in Ethan's hands who was close to falling to the floor from embarrassment. He could already hear the students laughing behind his back and he would have given anything for the ground to suddenly open up and swallow him whole.

"Thanks? Could you tell me who's it from?"

The girl rolled her eyes again. "Yeah, somebody named Sarah. She bought the highest package we offer too, just so you know. I at least hope you take her out on a date."

Ethan could only gape at her as she walked away and the hallway was empty once again. His expression didn't change as he walked passed the still sleeping Mr. Garrett and towards his seat which he was once again thankful was in the back of the classroom. He could spot Benny whispering furiously to some invisible spot on the side of him, his expression just as surprised. Though there was a hint of worry on the other boy's face that sent dread down Ethan's spine and it had nothing to do with the fact that Benny was currently talking to himself.

He placed the flowers and balloon on the empty seat next to him before turning swiftly to look at Benny. "We need to talk. Now."

"So...who gave you all that stuff?" Benny asked distractedly, sweat dripping down his face. "Rory? I always knew he held you in special place in his heart..."

"Stop playing games Benny. What's going on? Why did Sarah send me all this stuff?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." He blatantly looked anywhere other than the seat with all the bright flowers.

"Did you put a spell on her or something?"

Benny turned around so quickly Ethan was surprised the boy's neck didn't snap. "No magic remember? I didn't do anything. Let's just be happy that she's...you know...happy."

Ethan didn't find himself buying the flimsy excuse but he knew they'd have to drop it for now. Their luck of having the back of the classroom to themselves had finally run out and people were now constantly glancing over at them.

The rest of study hall ended uneventfully. Mr. Garrett remained sleep all the way until the bell rang, only jumping up to dismiss them before promptly dozing off again. As students began quickly filling out the room Ethan turned to Benny who was packing his things in a hurry. The other boy' still refusing to look at all the Valentine stuff sitting only two chairs beside him.

"So are you going to tell me what's going on?"

Benny shrugged. "Nothing really. Just going to see someone."

"Like who?" Ethan asked with a hint of suspension. "Sarah?"

Benny stopped packing his things and for a moment and merely stood frozen as a statue. A second later he shrugged noncovalently. "As cool as Sarah is you're the one obsessed with her bro, not me."

Ethan gave an indignant snort. "I'm not obsessed with her." He defended nervously. "It just doesn't make sense. One second Sarah's biting my head off—the next she gives me all this?" He pointed to the flowers and balloons. "Either she forgave me super easily, which doesn't sound like Sarah at all, or someone spelled her."

"_Or_ maybe she finally opened her eyes to how much she loves you and now the two of you can finally ride off into the sunset."

Ethan frowned. "Not funny." Although the image of him and Sarah doing anything together put that familiar feeling in the pit of his stomach. But it was obvious that whatever Benny was up to he wasn't going to spill anytime soon. So Ethan had little choice than to give up the fight for now and follow his friend out the classroom. He still felt a bit silly carrying all his 'gifts' from Sarah and his luck, if possible, was even worse in the hallways. Because standing across from them leaning casually against a random locker was Erica. Her eyes were locked amusingly onto the array of flowers in Ethan's hand.

"Hey there babe. I see you missed me." Benny teased and wiggled his eyes suggestively. Erica looked him over once before promptly rolling her eyes.

"Not even in your wildest dreams could you afford to think about me so why don't you go away and clean your little spellbook. It's him I wanted to see anyway." She nodded her head in Ethan's direction. "...By the way, what desperate girl was stupid enough to buy you anything for Valentine's day?"

If Ethan could still blush he would have been almost as red as a tomato as he quickly averted his eyes away from the girl. "Sarah." He said so low that it was barely audible.

For the first time Erica looked genuinely surprised. "Sarah?" She turned to Benny who was looking at the polished floor as if it had gold buried deep beneath it. "So I guess your little spell or whatever worked?"

Benny looked up quickly at that. His face pale and shrunken as if he was about to be sick.

"Oh...I was suppose to stay quiet wasn't I? Sorry about that." She apologized but her voice sounded as if she could care less.

Ethan took a deep intake of breath and knew he'd need to drink the last bit of substitute blood fast. But despite finding out why Benny was acting so weird he couldn't say that he was surprised. A part of him thought constantly about just having her spelled himself. It was a thought he would never admit out loud, and every time that solution came into his mind he quickly pushed it away. Making somebody feel what you wanted them too wasn't right no matter how much he wished he could make Sarah finally notice him as something beyond friends. But his lack of surprise still didn't mean he wasn't irritated with his best friend. With his emotions already heightened and out of control he knew once again that he would need to get some blood into him before the day was over.

"Benny..." He growled. "What kind of spell did you use on her?"

The other boy gulped. "Nothing...just a simple spell is all. Nothing big really."

"How simple is simple?"

Benny fiddled with the straps of his book bag. "Really small. So small you'll barely notice anything."

"Well you better reverse it quick because—"

Ethan was quickly cut off quick by a loud squeal somewhere down the hallway. Thinking someone was under attack he turned in the direction of the sound, ready to fight, but instead of seeing some monster attacking a random girl he found a grinning Sarah running towards him in speeds that was close to unnatural. It only took a second before Ethan found his vision obscured by her brown hair as she latched her arms around his waist in a hug.

"I can't believe you got my gifts already!" She hugged him tighter.

"Err..." Was all he could say, temporarily speechless by the amazing scent of lilac coming from her hair.

"You don't even have to say a thing you sexy boy you! Your expression is all the gratitude I need." Then when he least expected it she reached up and kissed him on the lips. The kiss was extremely quick—almost like a mere whisper—but the effect was immediate. She had kissed him. Even if it was less than a peck, the fact remained that her lips had been on his for a second. Ethan could feel his fangs extend and the burning deep down in his throat returned ten fold. Never before had the desire to just reach out and drink from a random student been so strong. It almost consumed him, and Ethan knew it was time to drink that nasty blood in the canister.

Painfully having no choice but to pull Sarah away from him Ethan coughed and rubbed his neck.

"Is everything alright Ethanbear?" Sarah asked with genuine concern. All he could do was nod his head in reply because his mind was still frozen after their small kiss.

"I need to drink something." He admitted hoarsely before coughing again. The burning was really starting to hurt. "I really have to go. Thanks for the...all the...stuff Sarah." He smiled weakly at her before giving Benny a look. An expression that told his friend their conversation about fixing Sarah wasn't over. With that he dashed off through the crowded hallways in a speed that was much too quick for anyone to fully notice him until he found the nearest boy's bathroom. Opening the door he let out an audible sigh when he noticed it was empty.

"Perfect." He muttered before stashing all his gifts on the nearby sink and hurriedly rustling through his book bag until he found the canister. By now his fangs were throbbing and he wasn't sure how much more he could take until the top of the lid finally came off and he drunk hungrily from the contents.

The second the blood went down his throat Ethan could feel the fangs retract and the burning down his throat slowly calm to the small and slightly forgetful buzz he was use to. Now that he was in his right mind again his thoughts replayed over what just happened.

Despite it being short and small the fact still remained—Sarah had kissed him.

"I can't believe she kissed you. Yeah she's completely under a spell." Erica said firmly as they left the school building. The parking lot was crowded full with students as the last classes ended and more people trickled out the doors.

"Well, technically. It wasn't really a kiss." Benny corrected with a small smirk. "Not like the one we had that one time."

The blonde rolled her eyes and snorted. "Yeah. When I was high off that little spell you used on us. Even then it was forgettable."

"Ha right. I could definitely feel some tongue action on your part."

At that remark Erica swooped down on him menacingly with her fangs gleaming.

"What was that nerd boy?"

Benny quickly backed off. "Nothing. Whatever you say Count Sexy."

Ethan sighed as he walked passed them. Wishing, not for the first time, that they would just get a room. "This doesn't help the problem we have with Sarah."

Benny averted the dark look Erica was still giving him as he patted his friend reassuringly on the back. "I told you it should wear off soon. You know all the spells do eventually."

Ethan frowned deeply and looked at the array of flowers in his hands. Was it really a bad thing? After all she had been depressed for so long now, maybe a day of her being happy was actually a good thing...the confliction was eating him up inside. Ethan really didn't know what to he knew Sarah. She would never want it this way. The last time she was under magic both he and Benny had almost felt her rath. Knowing that she was under a spell and doing nothing about it would only push her farther away from him and he knew it. So with a deep sigh Ethan paused in his step.

"We need to see your grandmother Benny. Something about this spell doesn't feel right." Remembering the short kiss they had shared earlier told him that something much sinister was brewing behind it all.

Benny pursed his lips in thought for a moment before he nodded his head agreeingly. Ethan knew there was something he wasn't saying and he bet it had something to do with him talking to himself in study hall.

"Well you two have fun putting good girl back together." Erica said absentmindedly while examining her freshly manicured nails. "As for me. I think I'm going to find a nice little after school snack. Math always did make me hungry." With that the blonde girl disappeared amongst the sea of students.

Benny shrugged. "She should be home now. Earlier she went out to get her bunions massaged." He added with a shiver.

Ethan couldn't blame him. He still had nightmares after seeing Benny grandmother's feet.

They walked from the school down the long blocks leading to Benny's house. It was a long stretch that normally made him tired but nowadays he found himself with energy to spare. He could have ran a marathon down the entire long street leading up to Pacific Avenue and back without breaking a sweat.

The inside of Benny's house was dark save for the kitchen. Inside they both found the elderly woman sitting at the table with a bunch of lit candles levitating in the air. Even after all the magic Ethan had seen Benny do since he found out he was a spellcaster it was still a bit surreal to see it up close for himself, especially the magic his grandmother tended to do.

The second she opened her eyes to look up at them the candles instantly fell to the floor. Many of them breaking into small pieces.

"Well this have better be important." She scolded them lightly. "Those relaxer candles don't come cheap you know."

"It is." Ethan was the first to reply. "It's Sarah. Benny—"

"Merely made her happy again." Benny finished with a nervous grin before jabbing Ethan in the stomach.

But that was enough for the woman to instantly become suspicious. She had seen enough of their antics to know when something was going on.

"And how did you make her happy?" Evelyn asked her grandson with a raised brow. "I hope not with a spell. You two should have learned from the last time."

Benny was noticeably flinching now. "Well...it was just a small spell..."

Evelyn frowned deeply before standing up from her chair and giving him a look of disapproval. "Alright. Show me the spell you used."

With a wave of his hand the spellbook disappeared from his book bag and suddenly plopped itself onto the table. His grandmother quickly started scanning the pages. "It only took her a second before she reached the page Benny had folded in order to keep a bookmark. When she pulled the page over her eyes moved over the words before she promptly closed the book with a snap so loud it nearly made him jump. Ethan on the other hand merely looked at her with wide eyes.

"Tell me you didn't use the Cupid spell." She asked him calmly but there was an undertone that told him there was a storm about to brew if he gave her the wrong answer.

Ethan turned to him and waited for a reply as well.

"Well. When you said Cupid. Do you mean Cupid from Santa's reindeers? Or..."

"Don't play stupid with me. Did you use the spell on page 623?"

Benny grimaced. "I might have..." When his grandmother narrowed her eyes he quickly threw up his hands in defeat. "But I didn't think it would do anything. I mean, it's only suppose to work for a day, right?"

The elderly woman shook her head before snapping her fingers and the spellbook instantly disappeared. Benny had a feeling he wouldn't see it again for a while.

"You've done some hairbrain things before. But this, this takes the cake. Do you have _any_ idea what you've just summoned?"

He shrugged again. "Err...a small flying guy?"

"No. You summoned a 300 year old dark spellcaster who was banished 50 years ago. The mortals called him Cupid because he use to meddle with romance. But really, he would use the romance between two people in order to suck out their souls."

"Their souls?" Ethan asked meekly.

"That's right." She replied with a sharp nod. "And something tells me you didn't read the fineprint did you?" Evelyn rounded on her grandson again. "Because if you had you would have seen the warning. Vandron, or Cupid as you call him, will grant you a romantic wish in return for a price. Only the fool hearted even summoned him not knowing what that price would be."

Suddenly the room felt darker to Ethan. There was a chill in the air and he was pretty sure he wasn't supposed to feel it.

"So you're saying he'll suck out Sarah's soul?"

The elderly woman nodded solemnly. "Since Benny obviously only spoke her name. He has a contract with Sarah alone. She's safe now. But the second she speaks the strongest words of love he'll take her." At the boys blank stares she sighed and rolled her eyes. "Love. When she tells Ethan she loves him then Vandron will take her soul."

Ethan knew if it wasn't for the fact that he wasn't human anymore his face would be red. He had never expected to hear her say that to him. In fact, he never really thought about those words himself. Did he love Sarah? Of course he did but he didn't want her to say it to him. Not when she wasn't thinking for herself.

Ethan felt troubled now. There was still more to it. He could tell by the older woman's expression.

"Is there a way to stop him? He can be banished again can't he?"

Evelyn gave a long pause as she looked him over a moment. Then her expression turned grim as she nodded. "There's a way. But you won't like it. The only way to banish Vandron again is by breaking his spell on her. Her heart will have to be broken. You'll have to tell her you don't love or care about her at all. But there's a consequence. Even when the spell is broken she'll remember you telling her those words, I'm afraid."

The darkness that had filled the room could have practically engulfed him at that moment.

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**A/N:** Hello all, good to be back! Hopefully Part 3 (which might be the final part of episode 1) will be posted soon. For all those hoping for a little Erica/Benny, don't worry! There are some upcoming episodes dedicated mostly to them. Rory won't be left out either. Lots of good stuff coming!

Also: Starting from now on there will be a song dedicated to each episode/part. The song for part two is:_Speechless by Morning Parade._

Remember to R/R!


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